Chapter 2 - A Perfected Entrance Exam
Stepping through the gateway into the top hero school in Japan, Yuki smiled under her mask while feeling a wave of pressure pass over her, this wasn't a big deal to her at first, but now she had a friend she wanted to progress with so it made her desire to achieve a place in UA greater than before if All Might's encouraging words leading to today didn't already make her excited.
He had always been supportive, ever since they met she wanted to be just like him, a hero that calmed the minds of people, gave them the strength to stand themselves, but most importantly, to be a hero that would be there for those like herself, who feel the world is against them, she would twist the unfair fates given to those just like her.
Forward | Combat | Ready
With a flicker in her vision and the strange stares she received for wearing her mask, she made her way down the path toward her future, until she saw the greenish-black hair talking like a nervous wreck to a girl, it made her roll her eyes, he was never good at talking with people, mostly of the opposite sex, something Yuki found amusing to tease him about. But now he was the new successor to All Might and that... explosive power, she shuddered, even she wouldn't know how to control that power off the bat.
Eventually, the girl walked away before Yuki could ask... or she would, she then facepalmed at her own stupidity, of course, she can't ask! Instead, her hand tapped the back of the rigid Izuku, making him freak out again. "Ah! O-oh, Yuki, it's you." He grimaced, patting his stomach. "I still feel sick..."
She waved off his worries ever since she departed to get changed herself, then pointed to the girl. Izuku sighed then gave her the rundown, and about Kacchan, the bully Izuku nearly had Yuki hunt down by mistake. After that, Yuki clapped her hands together, a sign she understood the situation.
"So, why aren't you in a uniform? Mostly everyone here comes from a school?" His question did make him do a once-over of Yuki's casual clothing. It was the same as what she always wore, only with a scarf and gloves this time, both a light blue. She put her hands on her hips, glowing eyes forming a suspicious expression. "W-wait, sorry, I just was curious! I don't think you've ever mentioned going to a school before."
'The person I live with tutored me, I've never gone to a school in a looooong time'
"That makes sense - Right, we should probably get inside before we're late." Yuki nodded and followed Izuku closely, the two of them stood out due to the glowing eyes of Yuki's mask but she found it amusing, people always will be curious
Inside the meeting hall the hero, President Mic gave the rundown of the two-minute mock battles. From what Yuki understood they'd be divided up from A to F, and would have to destroy as many robots as possible. Points ranging from 1 to 3, with an obstacle object ranking 0, for all she knew it was a very big wall to pass, but why include it? As a distraction?
"-You with the mask!" Yuki jumped at the person pointing her out, her eyes blinked, head titled with a finger pointed at herself. "Yes you, that mask of yours is causing unrest among many here, while I have no idea why you're wearing such an item, for the sake of those here please remove it until the end."
That had her heart stop, eyes dilating in fear as she noted that a number of examinees were eyeing her up, she knew her mask was obvious but... it wasn't her fault she... couldn't live without it. Her hand instinctively scratched the side of her neck, her hand jittering slightly.
"..." She couldn't speak but Izuku could hear her shaky breaths, his fear of being put on the spot had all but dissolved, instead, he was worried Yuki might have a panic attack. So with a stern expression, he bowed his head
"Sorry, but she can't remove it," That had her attention too. "While it's not my place to explain the situation, its use is completely medicinal."
"That's right! Thank you for pointing that out, both of you!" President Mic sounded off. "Not to put the young lady on the spot but the mask she wears is similar to that of a Hero Support item, just to clarify for the foreseeable future!"
The man with glasses nodded un understanding. "I see, then excuse my interruption."
"Not a problem! Let's get right back to it!" While he continued his explanation of the exam specifications, Izuku nudged Yuki, seeing her place a hand on her heart, breathing soundly again
"Are you okay?" He whispered, with a hidden smile, Yuki held a thumb up to him, then a note between her fingers
'You're the best, thank you, really hate it when people do that, I get... stressed'
He smiled, giving his own thumbs up to her, all while Kacchan watched the two, a scowl on his face while eyeing up Yuki. "What the hell's up with this Nerd and Mute..?"
[Battle Center A]
Yuki waited just outside the large wall between her and a miniature city, the very scale had her jaw drop at how big the school's budget was for such an expansion, and there were several of them. Her amazement aside she saw many interesting characters, some with noticeable mutations to their bodies indicating at what their Quirk may entail, other than that she stuck to herself, not like anyone could strike up a conversation with a mute, mask-wearing girl anyhow. Well, say for Izuku, but he was strange, like her.
Warning | Threat Level | Dumb
At the humorous statement by her quirk, SIVA, her eyes slowly drifted toward the spiky-blonde approaching her, it made her eyes flatten, it was Bakugo, something told her it was going to be a headache, even she didn't need SIVA for that.
"Hey, Mute, what the hell's with you and Deku back in the hall?" At the strange name, he must have referred to Izuku, and if it were an insult then she wasn't amused. So instead, she crossed her arms and huffed. "Don't you ignore me!"
She flicked up a note, her head turned away. 'You're the one who's been bullying Izuku, so why should I talk to you? You're a jerk, simple'
At that comment she found herself being grabbed by the scruff of her shirt, pulled dangerously close to Bakugo, his left hand letting off smaller sparks, something Yuki kept in mind encase she was dragged into a fight, while she wanted to avoid it, if he was willing to throw down she'd happily give him the ass-kicking he deserved.
"You little runt," They were the same height. "Who the hell are you to that weak nobody? Are you the one who's made him think he's got some power that makes him better than me?" That had her head tilt. Was that what he thought of Izuku? I guess he did notice the fact his Quirk only appeared recently, she had to admit, he was observant
'I don't know what you think of him, but he's my friend, and if you threaten him we'll be on bad terms. I don't care about your past or his, it's not my place to pry, but don't pick on somebody who had nothing just because you were gifted first'
"How did you even write that!?" She had help... but after a siren blared the gateway opened. He finally let her go, still glaring back with red eyes, all she did was roll hers and flicked the note over, now that made him grin
'Let's see who's better, you or me? Most points win, obviously :p'
"Bring it on!"
~RIGHT, LET'S START!~
The announcer did say some other details but that was just to inform the rest that there wasn't any time to waste, as with the crowd behind me and Bakugo soon figured out, the two of us already flying into the streets. That's when I saw it, he sets off explosions in his hands, but I had a trick of my own to play...
"I'll see you at the finish line, Izuku!"
Machines of equal size roamed the city, with many explosions and torn metal thrown through-out the warzone, Quirks of varying strengths were at work, some better than others as the points rose and the number of machines fell at great speed, there was only so much time before the end of the mock exam so there wasn't time to waste. Ahead, an examinee was cornered by two Two-Pointers, he didn't have a Quirk that would aid him in a fight so he was relying on survival over anything else. One of them raised an arm, ready to send him flying through the glass pane behind him.
*Crack-Bam*
From above Yuki's shin slammed into the head of the Two-Pointer, sending the limb flying while her hands pressed against the shoulders, hopping over the swipe from the second. With a twirl she brought her left fist down, embedded the head into the neck, followed by an uppercut through the chest, sending it flying into another One-Pointer, the two colliding in a massive eruption of flames.
With only a salute to the boy she skated away, blades etched into her soles, while her nails were encased in black steel.
"Yuki Azuru"
"Quirk: SIVA"
Her Quirk allows her to enhance her body with whatever she can imagine, be it strength, speed, defense, or even weapons, although overuse can cause damage to her directly. Other than that, she is a mute with a limitless arsenal of power!
She had to keep moving, Bakugo had taken to streets farther away, where there were fewer people, while Yuki relied on using speed to swiftly take down the competition. Say, the large group of machines charging in from the south. With a pounce her hands swung her up and over a lamppost, tossing her high over the competition, say for a guy with tape protruding from his arms taking the lead, snagging two of the robots ahead of Yuki. Unphased she kept up her swings, pushing down with her feet from a bar and down onto a Three-Pointer.
With a barrel roll, she avoided a fist, spinning around with a roundhouse to its head, the blade blinding the machine. Pressing her hands to its wild right cross, she sunk her hands in, tearing the arm off and severing its head with the arm itself. Quickly, she guarded with the arm, dropping it to face another Three-Pointer, walking up to it, she hooked her hands into its collar, slamming her mask into its chest. It didn't budge, so she did it again, then again, and again, it still didn't break.
Huffing, she threw it back, grabbing the severed arm from before, flicking it around its waist and grabbing the other end. With a hard pull, she reeled back, slamming her face against the chest again and seeing its back explode, the machine falling apart while Yuki carelessly dropped the arm again, skating away toward her next target.
With a quick twirl of her hands, many throwing knives were conjured between her fingers. With a sharp stop, Yuki slid down to her knees, sending a flurry of knives out with her right hand, using this freehand she performed a handstand and hopped into the air, flicking the remaining knives ahead of her. Upon landing back on both feet she saw the three robots spark and fizzle, striking several weak points in the armor, if not for SIVA's targetting she'd have missed.
Warning | Threat-Level | High
The happy-go-lucky attitude of hers slowly dwindled, stepping back a bit at the rumble in the ground, beneath the city, systems were working overtime, gears and machinery hiss and popped as they moved the world around them like a puzzle, slotting new pieces in favor of newer fragments. In seconds, a building ahead of the crowd split wide open, and a new shadow loomed over them all. Yuki was now screaming on the inside, jaw dislodged completely with wide eyes.
It was classed as an Executor, and it lived up to its name. The arena trap was that of a towering, army green robot with several red eyes, just its hands alone crushed the tops of the buildings it used to maneuver around, blocking the Northern street completely.
"Who the hell came up with this as an exam, a sadist!?" She freaked, but clapped her hands, noting that some robots were currently alone since most of the examinees were transfixed on running away or frozen in place by the Executor, this gave her the chance she needed to pass without room for doubt!
You want to become a hero, don't you? Well, it can be a vicious world, Young Azuru
Yuki took a single step toward the masses, and yet her right foot refused to budge, facing back toward the fearful crowd. It perplexed her, why didn't her foot want to move? If she didn't get moving she might not pass, a score of thirty-five wasn't near enough, not with people like Bakugo raking up more points by the second. And yet, her eyes locked to the terrified people ahead of her, they might get hurt or worse.
However, choosing when it is best to save one life or many isn't an option.
Her hands balled up, eyes flickering between worry and concentration. She had to keep going, if she wanted to become a hero that would be there for others she couldn't lose, that was the reality of it, but... if she turned away now, even if it were for an exam, what kind of person... what kind of hero would turn away from someone in need of a hand to reach out to them?
To become a hero, to symbolize peace for all, and embody justice
The Executor's arm came hurdling down near a few people, it wouldn't crush them but they didn't know that, and by now they had no time to run. In a surge of red light, the shadow that loomed over several faces was struggling to conceal the light, before their very eyes, Yuki's arms pushed back against the black palm, her feet digging into concrete as her body screamed to compensate for her lack of power.
You must be willing to save everyone who cannot protect themselves!
Her muscles screamed but her heart raced, blood flowing, veins enriched with a scarlet glow through-out her body, in a flash, a red glow enveloped her body, her mask's eyes turning crimson, while bolts of red lightning coursed over her.
SIVA | Enhance | Ten Percent
Muscles screamed inside her mind but she could still move, pushing back with enough force to throw the arm left, slamming it into the nearby building. With a hand back at the star-struck crowd they backed off, her body moved without thinking, diving toward the appendage as it craned back into the air, Yuki along with it.
Without delay the Executor leveled its arm to inspect her, she simply glared back, flying across the gap between the forearm and head, slamming a fist into an eye, followed by another series of punches to the head, denting the plating bit-by-bit, it strained her body, but it was working, she had it pushed back. The head bowed, slamming into her as her body tumbled into the side of a building, yet her fingers slowed her fall, latching onto the side of the skyscraper.
With a lumbering groan and crash of brick and glass, the arm demolished the block as Yuki ran up the length of the building, backflipping onto the arm and running along its length toward the head again, slicing at points across its armor. With a spin her leg slammed into the side of its head, pushing it back, followed by a right hook to another eye, the head colliding with the adjacent building.
"LOOK OUT!" Someone cried out as Yuki gasped, gravity crushing her against the metal surface of a fist that threw her high above the skyline, her head bouncing from the impact while a large gash crossed her left arm, but she was still conscious. With the altitude her body soared at the Executor couldn't reach her, and being a simple machine, it focused on the crowd instead
The height she was at was perfect, she couldn't beat it with tricks, instead, she had to bulldoze her way through and overwhelm the robot with a single move. Sighing, she silently apologized to All Might, knowing he was watching, so with a thumbs up to no-one she braced herself for the backlash.
She had never used SIVA past five percent since her body is enhanced, whatever point the power is unleashed upon suffers from serious backlash, the worst was when she used it a fifty percent, both her arms were broken and the muscle torn, it took a week to even use SIVA at five percent again. And yet her fists clenched, while her left leg bent upright.
It didn't matter, people were in danger and she had the power to end it all with a single strike. At the altitude the machine threw her, her quirk would be amplified by the velocity she plummeted from. She had to do this quickly, otherwise, it'll just block her next move and the damage wouldn't be enough. Yuki would win with one strike, straight to the head!
Warning | Power Exceeded | Granted
Her mask's eyes glowed a far fiercer scarlet, eyes retracted down to a single light while all the red markings in her arms and legs completely converged on her leg, reconfiguring flesh and bone. Starting from her knee down to her foot, the entirety of her left leg was converted into a mechanical leg, red highlights running inside the joint while power surged through-out her body.
SIVA | Enhance | Twenty Percent
"Perfected Impact!" Yuki's linear train of thought conjured as an explosive amount of power crashed down in a crescent of red, her foot tearing through the robot's head like paper, red lightning crackling around her lower body while she spun once, seeing the crescent marking score through the entire head
The machine reeled back with a twist and scream of metal, small discharges of fire dotting along its body while the limbs came undone, falling apart before the crowd's eyes, all while Yuki breathed heavily, wincing as SIVA shut down, leaving her to clutch her fiery leg, the tingling sensation of her bone nearly breaking was enough to take her attention away from the fact she was plummeting toward the ground.
Yuki, of course, freaked out, flapping her arms toward a building, with only five percent her fingers sunk into the glass and metal, slowing her fall back to earth with a sharp tumble onto the tarmac. It wasn't a pretty landing but it paid off, seeing the mountain of metal on fire while pieces tumbled to the ground before her eyes.
Even while some people cheered she couldn't do anything since she was immobilized, her leg unable to move while she carefully adjusted her sitting position to stretch it out, wincing again at how her muscles twitched from being overused. The last thing on her mind was-
~TIME'S UUUUUUUP!~
The siren blared and Yuki's guard finally lowered, her body slumping back so she could look up at the sky, sighing once as a new thought crossed her mind. "I wonder if Izuku managed to use All Might's quirk?" She smiled warily. "It... probably wasn't pretty."
"Hey, that was one heck of an attack you pulled!" Yuki's ears twitched, eyes locking onto a taller boy with spiky black hair and a rather simple expression, he had some strange muscles on his forearms too. Then Yuki remembered, he shot out some kind of tape from those points on his arms, it was actually faster maneuvering like that then just her jumping. "Wow, that looks bad?"
Yuki looked to her leg, then back at him with a passive wave, then held up a note. 'It's fine, I'll be okay in a day or two - I saw you before, your quirk's pretty useful for mobility and binding'
He smiled at that. "Thanks, I'm surprised I managed to keep up, what with people like you and that guy with the explosive hands running around, tearing apart anything that came their way - Oh, right, I'm Sero." He offered Yuki a hand, helping to lift her to her good foot again
She flicked the note around, 'Yuki, and thank you'
[Medical Office]
After one last roll of bandages, Yuki's body was fully healed, say for her gash since a number of muscles were torn, but other than that she would be fine within two days. Recovery Girl, an elderly woman with the ability to heal others from severe injuries had made Yuki wish she knew her back when she first used SIVA.
"Now that should be you, Missy, but no straining your muscles to much for two days," Yuki nodded in understanding. "Well then, off you go." With a bow she left the office, adjusting her gloves while someone dashed toward her, nearly taking her out as the familiar face of Izuku appeared before her, worried
"Yuki, are you okay!? I heard what happened from someone during the exam!" His worry made her smile, though her eyes showed it for him, so with her thumb and finger connected she gave him the 'OK', and he finally relaxed. "That's a relief, I guess I wasn't the only one who went overboard today..."
He held a hand up between them, with Yuki tapping a finger to his palm. "I used it... and... it was overwhelming, I knocked down that massive robot with a single punch, but... I broke my arm completely alongside my legs, but for a moment, I could feel all of All Might's power at once, even so... I failed..."
Her head tilted to one side, seeing him trying to hold onto a strong face. "I'm sorry... I couldn't get a single point... I let you and All Might down..." That finally hit her. She realized that her points, despite being low she'd probably make it in, but Izuku, he couldn't use his power without breaking his body, and that larger machine would amount to nothing
The only thing Yuki could do was put her hand on his shoulder, pulling him close for a pat on the back, although he did blush fiercely, she didn't care, he needed this. So with a flick of her wrist, she let go and showed him a new note.
'So what, you failed, but that doesn't mean you didn't risk everything to save lives, that embodies the very principle of a hero. I know, from all your training, that you will become a hero, the best in the whole world'
Seeing this, he felt a wave of pride wash away the feelings of disappointment for a while, tears in the corners of his eyes while reading every word Yuki imprinted just for him, as though the moment All Might offered his hand to him, Yuki was doing the same without needing to say a word. Tapping the page, he turned it over.
'Of course, I'll be gunning for a close second so don't get too comfortable'
That made him laugh, wiping his eyes while holding onto the note tightly. "T-Thank you, Yuki, I needed that." She did a silly salute and waved for him to follow her, the two heading home with a lot on their minds. Even if they failed or one of them succeeded, they would become heroes no matter what
Later that day...
It was nauseating to wait for the results since Yuki couldn't talk to All Might, knowing he'd be working, so she had nothing to do but watch T.V, mindlessly scrolling through the channels while she waited anxiously for something to ring her doorbell, to give her any sign that an answer had arrived.
By her estimation, she scored around thirty-five to thirty-nine points, if that was alot she didn't know, sacrificing her acceptance into UA to save everyone still mattered more in the end, she knew, deep down that they would have been okay, but the gut feeling and pounding in her chest refused to let it be, she had to act, she needed to save them.
Illogical | Actions | Unexplainable
She knew he wouldn't understand, logic and calculations were what made up SIVA, but she didn't regret it, saving lives. "That's what it means to be human, putting yourself before others despite the risks."
Outcome | Unexpected | Satisfied?
A single nod and SIVA remained silent.
*Clank-Thud*
Her ears perked up immediately, racing off the sofa and over the end, faceplanting while she scrambled for the door, seeing the white letter with a red wax seal, with wide eyes she snatched it off the ground and ran back to her seat, sitting down nervously while looking at the letter, something else was inside too. With a gulp and a prayer, she pulled the seal and dropped the contents onto the coffee table.
It was a small, silver disk and a letter, more than likely her results. Then suddenly, a projection appeared right before her eyes, it was All Might!
"Booya! I am here as a projection!" He made a flashy entrance, even on camera in a yellow suit. "Surprised? I bet because right now you're looking at UA's new member of staff!" That made her glare at the protection, pouting. "I can imagine you don't look quite happy hearing that, hahaha!"
A hand popped up, probably to tell him to move along. "I know, but I got like ten more of these to do..." The finger pointed and All Might looked shocked and pale. "How many more!? Hehe... ahem, anyway, I should congratulate you, passing the written exam was not easy, but I knew all that tutoring would have paid off."
"Of course, your results in the practical exam were less than spectacular, I am sorry," That had her heart sink, did this mean she... failed? In a way, she was upset by this but it didn't matter, in any way she could, she'd be a hero, her only regret was not seeing to it that Izuku made it in, maybe she could have given her points to - He started laughing. "I can imagine you want to ensure Young Midoriya got in no matter what, even if that means you would fail." She blinked, surprised to hear that from him. "I've known you long enough to understand that heart of yours is honest."
With a finger held high, he pointed to a T.V screen on his end. "Fortunately there was another part to this exam than what meets the eye. Your Quirk... is different than most... some would say you are unfit to be a hero, but what you displayed was the very essence of one, there was no doubt about it."
Yuki felt it, as her eyes widened with a hand twisting at her shirt where her heart raced, All Might looked to her, smiling as always. "Alongside Combat Points we have Rescue Points, as a panel of judges grades those who would risk their lives to save others, and that, Young Azuru, is what you and Young Midoriya displayed today, heroism!"
Tears finally fell from her eyes, while a smile crossed her face at the sight of the board. She had Thirty-Five Combat Points and Thirty Rescue Points. A grand total of Sixty-Five. Yuki couldn't believe her eyes, seeing the score rally in the top ten, sure, she didn't beat Bakugo but who cared? She did it, both of them passed with flying colors.
With a hand out to her, memories came flooding back at the gates, as she tried to control her waterworks with a bright smile on her face. "You did it, Yuki. Welcome to the Hero Academia."
The projection cut out after that, and with a massive leap into the air she cried out happily, applying enough force to the sofa to tip it back, herself flying onto the ground with her phone flopping next to her. Without hesitation she grabbed her phone, texting in seconds with the amazing news that made her hands wobble.
Yuki: Izuku!
Izuku: Yuki!
Yuki: I did it! I'm going to become a Hero!
Izuku: I did it! I'm going to become a Hero!
To Be Continued...
And like that, we're off with a bang! And yeah, I based her 'Quirk' off of SIVA from Destiny because I thought it would be cool, you don't need to know anything about SIVA but if you ever wanted a sneak peek at what Yuki can do in the future then who am I to stop you? And besides, it's alot more than just a Quirk. I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter!
Next Chapter: Perfect Practice
The first day at UA begins, and yet Class 1-A is faced with their Homeroom Teacher with a strict challenge that will expel the weakest link. Izuku will have his hands full, and Yuki must grit her teeth through it all.